The Fox, the Wolf, and the Husbandman

In elderis dayis, as Esope can declair,
Thair wes ane husband, quhilk had ane pleuch to steir.
His use wes ay in morning to ryse air;
Sa happinnit him in streiking tyme of yeir,
Airlie in the morning to follow furth his feir
Unto the pleuch, bathe his gadman and he;
His stottis he straucht with Benedicite.

The caller cryit: " How, haik upon hicht;
Hald draucht, my dowis," syne broddit thame full sair.
The oxin wes unusit, young, and licht,
And for fersnes thay couth the fur forfair.
The husband than woxe angry as ane hair,
Syne cryit, and caist his patill and greit stanis:
" The Wolf," quod he, " mot haif you all at anis."

Bot yit the Wolf wes neirar nor he wend,
For in ane busk he lay, and Lowrence baith,
In ane rouch rone, wes at the furris end,
And hard the hecht; than Lowrence leuch full raith:
"To tak yone bud," quod he, "it wer na skaith."
" Weill," quod the Wolf, " I hecht the be my hand,
Yone Carllis word, as he wer king, sail stand."

The oxin eirit mair reully at the last.
Syne efter thay lousit, fra that it worthit weill lait,
The husband hameward with his cattell past.
Than sone the Wolf came hirpilland in his gait,
Befoir the oxin, and schupe to mak debait.
The husband saw him, and worthit sume deile agast,
And bakwart with his beistis wald haif past,

The Wolf said: "Quhither dryvis thow this, pray?
I challenge it, for nane of thame ar thyne."
The man thairof wes in ane felloun fray,
And soberlie to the Wolf answerit syne:
" Schir, be my saull, thir oxin ar all myne;
Thairfoir I studie quhy ye suld stop me,
Sen that I faltit never to yow trewlie."

The Wolf said: " Carle, gaif thow not me this drift
Airlie, quhen thow wes eirand on yone bank?
And is thair oucht, sayis thow, frear than gift?
This tarying will tyne the all thy thank;
Far better is frelie for to gif ane plank
Nor be compellit on force to gif ane mart.
Fy on the fredome that cummis not with hart! "

" Schir," quod the husband, "ane man may say in grief,
And syne ganesay, fra he avise and se:
I hecht to steill, am I thairfoir ane theif?
God forbid, Schir; all hechtis, suld haldin be!
Gaif I my hand or oblissing? " quod he,
" Or haif ye writ or witness for to schaw?
Schir, reif me not, bot go and seik the law.'"

" Carll," quod the Wolf, " ane lord, and he be leill,
That schrinkis for schame, or doutis to be reprufit,
His saw is ay als sickker as his seill.
Fy on the leid that is not leill and lufit!
Thy argument is fals, and eik contrufit,
For it is said in Proverb: ' But lawte
All uther vertewis ar nocht worth ane fle.' "

"Schir," said the husband, "remember of this thing:
Ane leill man is not tane at half ane taill.
I may say, and ganesay, I am na King:
Quhair is your witness that hard I hecht thame haill? "
Than said the Wolf: "Thairfoir it sail nocht faill;
Lowrence," quod he, " cum hidder of that schaw,
And say na thing bot as thow hard and saw."

Lowrence came lourand, for he lufit never licht,
And sone appeirit befoir thame in that place:
The man leuch na thing, quhen he saw that sicht,
" Lowrence," quod the Wolf, " thow man declair this cace,
Quhairof the suith we sail schaw in schort space;
I callit on the leill witness for to beir:
Quhat hard thow that this man hecht me lang eir? "

" Schir," said the Tod, " I cannot hastilie
Swa sone as now gif sentence finall;
Bot wald ye baith submit yow heir to me,
To stand at my decreit perpetuall,
To pleis baith I suld preif gif it may fall."
" Weill," quod the Wolf, " I am content for me; "
The man said, " Swa am I, however it be."

Than schew thay furth thair allegeance but fabill,
And baith proponit thair pley to him compleit.
Quod Lowrence: " Now I am ane juge amycabill:
Ye sail be sworne to stand at my decreit,
Quhether heirefter ye think it soure or sweit."
The Wolf braid furth his fute, the man his hand,
And on the Toddis tail sworne thay ar to stand.

Than tuke the Tod the man furth till ane syde,
And said him: " Freind, thow art in blunder broeht;
The Wolf will not forgif the ane oxe hyde,
Yit wald myself fane help the, and I mocht.
Bot I am laith to hurt my conscience ocht,
Tyne not thy querell in thy awin defence:
This will not throw but greit coist and expence.

" Seis thow not buddis beiris bernis throw,
And giftis garris crukit materis hald full evin?
Sumtymis ane hen haldis ane man in ane kow.
All ar not halie that heifis thair handis to hevin."
"Schir," said the man, "ye sail haif sex or sevin,
Richt of the fattest hennis of all the flok:
I count not all the laif, leif me the Cok."

" I am ane juge," quod Lowrence than, and leuch;
" Thair is na buddis suld beir me by the rycht;
I may tak hennis and caponis weill aneuch,
For God is gane to sleip; as for this nycht,
Sic small thingis ar not sene into His sycht;
Thir hennis," quod he, " sail mak thy querrell sure,
With emptie hand na man suld halkis lure."

Concord in this, than Lowrence tuke his leif,
And to the Wolf he went in to ane ling;
Syne privelie he pluckkit him be the sleif:
" Is this in ernist," quod he, " ye ask sic thing?
Na, be my saull, I trow it be in hething."
Than said the Wolf: "Lowrence, quhy sayis thow sa?
Thow hard the hecht thyself that he couth ma."

"The hecht," quod he, "yone man maid at the pleuch,
Is that the cause quhy ye the cattell craif?"
Half into heithing, said Lowrence than, and leuch;
" Schir, be the Rude, unrokkit now ye raif;
The devill ane stirk taill thairfoir sail ye haif;
Wald I tak it upon my conscience
To do sa pure ane man as yone offence?

" Yit haif I communit with the carll," quod he;
"We are concordit upon this cunnand:
Quyte of all clamis, swa ye will mak him fre,
Ye sail ane cabok haif in to your hand,
That sic ane sail not be in all this land;
For it is somer cheis. baith fresche and fair;
He sayis it weyis ane stane and sumdeil mair."

" Is that thy counsell," quod the Wolf, " I do,
That yone carll for ane cabok suld be fre? "
" Ye, be my saull, and I wer sworne yow to,
Ye suld nane uther counsell haif for me;
For gang ye to the maist extremitie,
It will not wyn yow worth one widderit neip;
Schir, trow ye nocht, I haif ane saull to keip! "

" Weill," quod the Wolf, " it is aganis my will
That yone carll for ane cabok suld ga quyte."
" Schir," quod the Tod, " ye tak it in nane evill,
For, be my saull, your self had all the wyte.
"Than," said the Wolf, "I bid na mair to flyte,
Bot I wald se yone cabok of sic pryis."
" Schir," said the Tod, " he tauld me quhar it lyis."

Than hand in hand thay held unto ane hill;
The husband till his hors hes tane the way,
For he wes fane; he schaipit from thair ill,
And on his feit woke the dure quhill day.
Now will we turne unto the uther tway.
Throw woddis waist thir freikis on fate can fair,
Fra busk to busk, quhill neir midnycht and mair.

Lowrence wes ever remembring upon wrinkis
And subtelteis the Wolf for to begyle;
That he had hecht ane cabok he forthinkis,
Yit at the last he findis furth ane wyle,
Than at him self softlie couth he smyle.
The Wolf sayis: " Lowrence, thow playis bellie blind,
We seik all nycht, bot na thing can we find.'"

" Schir," said the Tod, " we ar at it almaist;
Soft yow ane lytill, and ye sail se sone."
Than to ane manure place thay hyit in haist:
The nycht wes lycht, and penny-full the mone,
Than till ane draw wel thir Senyeouris past but hone,
Quhar that twa bukkettis severall suithlie hang;
As ane come up ane uther doun wald gang.

The schadow of the mone schone in the well.
" Schir," said Lowrence, " anis ye sail find me leill;
Now se ye not the cabok weill your sell
Quhyte as ane neip, and round als as ane seill?
He hang it yonder, that na man suld it steill:
Schir, traist ye weill, yone cabok ye se hing
Micht be ane present to ony lord or king."

" Na," quod the Wolf, " mycht I yone cabok haif
On the dry land, as I it yonder se,
I wald quitclame the carll of all the laif;
His dart oxin I compt thame not ane fle;
Yone wer mair meit for sic ane man as me.
Lowrence," quod he, " leip in the bukket sone,
And I sail hald the ane, quhill thow haif done."

Lowrence yeid doun baith sone and subtellie;
The uther baid abufe, and held the flaill.
" It is sa mekill," quod Lowrence, " if maisteris me,
On all my tais, it hes not left ane nail;
Ye man mak help upwart, and it haill;
Leip in the uther bukket haistelie,
And come sone doun, and mak me sum supplie."

Than lychtlie in the bukket lap the loun;
His wecht but weir the uther end gart ryis;
The Tod come hailland up, the Wolf yeid doun;
Than angerlie the Wolf upon him cryis:
"I cummand thus dounwart, quhy thow upwart hyis? "
" Schir" quod the Tod, " thus fairis it of for- toun:
As ane cum mis up, scho quheillis ane uther doun r

Than to the ground sone yeid the Wolf in haist;
The Tod lap on land as blyith as ony bell,
And left the Wolf in watter to the waist.
Quha haillit him out, I wait not, of the well.
Heir endis the Text; thair is na mair to tell.
Yit men may find agane moralitie
In this sentence, thocht it ane fabill be.

Moralitas

This Wolf I likkin to ane wickit man,
Quhilk dois the pure oppres in everie place,
And pykis at thame all querrellis that he can
Be rigour, reif, and uther wickitnes.
The Foxe the Feynd I call in to this cais,
Actand ilk man to ryn unrychteous rinkis,
Thinkand thairthrow to lok him in his linkis.

The husband may be callit ane godlie man,
With quhome the Feynd fait findis, as clerkis reidis,
Besie to tempt him with all wayis that he can.
The hennis ar warkis that fra ferme faith proceidis:
Quhair sic sproutis the evill spreit thair not speidis,
Bot wendis unto the wickit man agane;
That he hes tint his travell is full unfane.

The woddis waist, quhairin wes the Wolf wyld,
Ar wickit riches, quhilk all men gaipis to get;
Quha traistis in sick trusterie ar oft begyld:
For Mammon may be callit the devillis net,
Quhilk Sathanas for all sinfull hes set.
With proud plesour quha settis his traist thairin,
Bot speciall grace,, lychtlie can not outwin.

The cabok may be callit covetyce,
Quihilk blomis braid in mony mannis ee;
Wa worth the well of that wickit vyce!
For it is all bot fraud and fantasie,
Dryvand ilk man to leip in the buttrie
That dounwart drawis unto the pane of hell. —
Christ keip all Christianis frome that wickit well!